1 ¶ And it came to pass,
when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 Now the name of his firstborn
was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba. 3 And his sons walked not
in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted
judgment.

3 -
Sons
walked not A sad testimony. Samuel had been faithful. We are
not told about his wife. Of course, righteousness is not inherited.3 -
Lucre
Money. See 1pe0502.
Clearly a problem in our end-time society.

.4
¶ Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and
came to Samuel unto Ramah,.5
And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways:
now make us a king to judge us like all the nations..6
But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge
us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.

5 -
And
thy sons From the words of the Lord, we do not see this problem
as justification for a king. Two sons are named at 1ch0628.
Centuries later Jesus would be rejected in an appeal for Caesar jn1915.6 -
Prayed
Do we handle our problems this way?

.7
And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in
all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they
have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. 8 According to all the works
which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt
even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods,
so do they also unto thee. 9 Now therefore hearken unto
their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the
manner of the king that shall reign over them.

7 -
Rejected
me God spoke through the prophets and the judges were to listen.
When we are unjustly rejected, we need to remember this story mt2545.

10
And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of
him a king..11
And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over
you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots,
and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint him
captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to
ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of
war, and instruments of his chariots.

11
- This will be the manner Or "the judgment ..."12
- Daughters to be ... cooks And he might have added, "concubines!"14
- Servants Literally "slaves."

13 And he will take your daughters
to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 14 And he will take your fields,
and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give
them to his servants..15
And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give
to his officers, and to his servants. 16 And he will take your menservants,
and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and
put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth
of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. 18 And ye shall cry out in
that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD
will not hear you in that day.

-
- - - - - - - - - - -

He will
take "Samuel was instructed to grant the request of the people,
but to warn them of the Lord's disapproval, and also make known what would
be the result of their course. 'And Samuel told all the words of the Lord
unto the people that asked of him a king.'

Comments
begin at the left He faithfully set before
them the burdens that would be laid upon them, and showed the contrast
between such a state of oppression and their present comparatively free
and prosperous condition. Their king would imitate the pomp and luxury
of other monarchs, to support which, grievous exactions upon their persons
and property would be necessary. The goodliest of their young men he would
require for his service. They would be made charioteers and horsemen and
runners before him. They must fill the ranks of his army, and they would
be required to till his fields, to reap his harvests, and to manufacture
implements of war for his service. The daughters of Israel would be for
confectioners and bakers for the royal household. To support his kingly
state he would seize upon the best of their lands, bestowed upon the people
by Jehovah Himself. The most valuable of their servants also, and of their
cattle, he would take, and 'put them to his work.' Besides all this, the
king would require a tenth of all their income..." (Patriarchs and Prophets,
p. 606.)

19 Nevertheless the people
refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have
a king over us;.20
That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us,
and go out before us, and fight our battles.

20
- Be like all the nations Popularity and joining the crowd
is a temptation for all of us. See ez3032.
We must guard against this tendency in church worship styles.

21 And Samuel heard all the
words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD. 22 And the LORD said to Samuel,
Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the
men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.

Samuel
... rehearsed He opened his saddened heart to His Lord. "In the character of Samuel
we see reflected the likeness of Christ. It was the purity of our Saviour's
life that provoked the wrath of Satan. That life was the light of the world,
and revealed the hidden depravity in the hearts of men. It was the holiness
of Christ that stirred up against Him the fiercest passions of falsehearted
professors of godliness. Christ came not with the wealth and honors of
earth, yet the works which He wrought showed Him to possess power greater
than that of any human prince. The Jews looked for the Messiah to break
the oppressor's yoke, yet they cherished the sins that had bound it upon
their necks. Had Christ cloaked their sins and applauded their piety, they
would have accepted Him as their king; but they would not bear His fearless
rebuke of their vices." ibid, pp. 607, 608.